Stroke of the Swords
by ashleyli
Summary: Kenzie never wanted to become a vampire. She was happy living on the mountains alone. Then the rabids came, ruining her life in seconds and she was forced to accept a new life; a busy one as well. How will she make people understand that a dangerous threat resides among them when the vampire world already has a price on her head? KANIN/OC
1. Michael

**A/N: IMPORTANT! READ THIS! IF YOU DO NOT, THE STORY WILL DEFINITELY NOT MAKE SENSE.**

Alright guys so in this story there is a time skip! *frowns* or I suppose a…flashback? A rewind? Call it what you want. I guess you could call this the prologue, but I insist on it being chapter one because we are following my OC, the protagonist, not Allie.

Anyway, basically the events occur before Allie was Turned.

**PART I: HUMAN**

**Chapter One: Michael**

I dropped into a stealthy crouch, scanning the ground around me. My feet moved on its own, matching my stance, as I moved nimbly towards my target. By the time it looked up, I had already slashed at its neck with my sword.

With a sigh of relief, I straightened and grabbed the rabbit I had killed before heading back to my cabin. I was alert the whole way and ended up catching another rabbit. One rabbit was enough for me, but two was a blessing, and I knew that other animals would try to take me out just as I had snatched their game.

_Well, whatever_, I thought as I trudged the forest as if it were my home. I knew the way around like the back of my hand. _I've shown them that this is my territory. They should know by now. _I wasn't about to give up a rabbit to another animal, especially when I couldn't defend myself against something like a bear.

I reached my cabin minutes later, a small wooden one-room home. It wasn't well made, I admitted, but whoever _had _made it did a fine job to me and I made improvements to it when I could. I stepped inside the home and locked the door before taking a look around. A dirty mattress lay on the ground which took up most of the space. Everywhere else was cluttered with things I had found in the forest.

Producing a dagger from inside my boot, I started to clean one of the rabbits, stopping to rest my callused hands every once in a while. I wouldn't be starting a fire, it would be too dangerous—it could attract animals to the smell of food. Eating it raw was not an option when it could make me sick.

The rays of sun that peeked out of the roof always leaked when it rained, but I was grateful for it. I cut a rotting lemon that had been left on the ground in half and squeezed the juice over the meat. Then I shuffled through the bits of the things I had found in the forest and picked up the broken pieces of glass. Putting the rabbits underneath the rays and created a makeshift glass box which covered the meat.

Then I slept. I knew that the process of cooking would take long which was why I hunted in the morning and slept the rest of the day while my food cooked.

XXXXX

I awoke to the sound of someone pounding on my door. Bolting upright, I snatched my sword up and carefully looked out through the hole I had made in the side of the house, beside the door. The racking stopped and I spotted a young man, arm bleeding heavily beside the house.

He was definitely injured and definitely human. No vampire could be outside at this time of day. But I had to make a choice. If I wanted to, I could eat the rabbit by myself since it was cooked and leave him outside to rot. He wasn't my problem.

Or I could let him in.

And risk the idea of him killing me? Taking my home and territory? It was too dangerous to risk everything I had acquired in the past ten years.

Then all of a sudden, the guy fainted. From blood loss, probably. I waited a minute to give me some kind of reassurance. My steps shook as I crept outside the house and checked his pulse. Fine. But he was burning up and bleeding for that matter.

Before taking him in, I checked his body for weapons and found a gun and a few daggers. I looted the weapons off him and hid them in the house before finally deciding to drag the guy in.

Only his arm was badly injured, so I tied a piece of cloth and a rock against the wound to stop the bleeding; my makeshift tourniquet. There wasn't else I could do but rub ointment on his other wounds and feed him the little medicine I had. He was the first human I had seen in ten years and didn't look harmful, so I took care of him and got a better look at him. He was taller than me by far and lean, with dark brown hair and a skinny face. Good looking but I couldn't trust him. I could only see what kind of person I had treated when he woke.

My eyes never left him as I ate the rabbit, anticipating his awakening.

XXXXX

He woke up two days later, ravenous. In the time between I had spoon fed him water and chunks of meat. I had been expecting him to come to for a day and had prepared more rabbits for him and myself. Rabbits were the easiest game to catch and the most common. I rarely got anything else and I never complained.

Not that I had anyone to complain to.

After he finished eating, I demanded answers.

"My name is Michael," his voice broke and he cleared his throat. "I am forever indebted to you for helping me. I am not in the condition at the moment, but one day, I will surely return the favour."

"I'm Kenzie," I replied, hiding my surprise. Even I knew that favours, when offered, would usually be kept by any man, less his risk of being seen as a coward. "I'll hold you up to that."

"Kenzie like Mackenzie?"

I nodded, "Call me either or, but I'll skin you if you call me Mac."

Michael chuckled and started telling me how he had come across the forest on such a lone mountain. He told me about having to escape a vampire city and was seeking refuge here. I didn't give his weapons back to him because his story still sounded sketchy. Escape a vampire city? What vampire would care if one of their bloodbags left?

I watched him warily but let him stay as the game seemed to be attracted to him. I got more food with him around but I still couldn't trust him. I kept my suspicions to myself. And I never told him about myself. He didn't seem to care.

"You must have been an animal in your past life," I insisted one day.

"An animal?" He mused, "Really?"

I nodded persuasively, "Like a doe or something. Maybe a rabbit."

"And why would that be?"

"They're all attracted to you," I said, it being the first time I brought it up.

He brushed it off with a laugh but I felt him become a little rigid, "It's just one of my many talents."

I smiled and turned away, realizing that there was something he was hiding. And something I needed to find out. "Is it now?"


	2. The Past

**Chapter Two: The Past**

We found a bear at the river one morning. I really needed water and it didn't seem to feel like budging. What was I supposed to do anyway? I had never seen a bear in the forest before and I didn't know whether to make myself look threatening or feeble.

Or could I eat it?

Ridiculous. I pushed the thought aside and turned to Michael before stopping. When had I become so dependent on him? That wasn't like me. I decided myself that I would just get the water I needed and go. I wasn't disturbing the bear so it shouldn't be a problem.

I drank the water and felt the tips of my hair touch it as well. My hair was getting long again, reaching to my lower back. I didn't have anything to cut it with except for my sword so the cuts were jagged and uneven amongst the unkempt blonde hair.

It made me kind of wish that my hair was curlier as well. It had always been straight and sometimes if I slept weirdly it would turn out wavy. My eyes were my favourite colour though. Green.

Michael whispered in my ear, interrupting my thoughts. "You done looking at yourself, Kenzie? We should get out of here before the bear decides that we're scaring off its food."

Irritation spiked in me. It wasn't like I looked at myself all the time, I just found my appearance curious whenever I looked in the reflection of the water. I bit back a response and stood next to him. While he was 6 foot, I was 5'7" and still felt pretty short compared to him. I knew that I was taller than most girls though.

I shook my head and put my mind back on the hunt. Picking up my sword, we scouted the forest for food and picked up three rabbits. One and a half for each of us.

"I've always wondered this," Michael said when we finished hunting. "Where did you get that sword?"

I looked down at the sword in my right hand. It was pitch black and evenly balanced in my hand. The handle was black and was connected to a hand guard that was longer on the right side. Attachd to the elongated area of the hand guard was part of the sword's obsidian blade, which helped me retain my grip on it when I used it. The blade was completely black like the rest of the sword.

A leaf fell from one of the trees above, and in one fluid motion, I sliced through it to show him how impossibly sharp it was. "My father gave it to me," I said, giving him the first bit of information of my past, "when I lived in Ortus, a vampire city—have you heard of it?"

"Do you hate vampires?"

"Of course," I said without hesitation. The way they treated humans was barbaric and disgusting. And yet, I knew that I was afraid of them at the same time. The thought of my blood being drained from me made me shiver.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I snapped. He didn't speak, only waited for me to continue as if knowing that there was some deeper meaning. "My mom was Registered in Ortus. When the plague hit, they gathered all the Registered humans in one place and drained all of their blood before ditching everyone else into the Inner City."

He shook his head, "What happened to your father?"

I didn't like all these personal questions. And besides, he never said anything about himself so why should I have to talk? "Where's your family then?" I asked, turning the tables on him.

"I don't really have a whole blood relation with my family. But my father is very strict. He's kind and only looks out for what's best for everyone," he said without a second thought. "But he's strict. And to be honest, I ran away, which is how you found me."

Finally he spoke the truth. I could see it in his eyes, feel it in his presence. "And how did you get hurt?" I said.

He laughed sheepishly, "I fell."

It didn't seem like the most legit answer, but I took it and spoke up for myself. He had finally shared a peace of himself to me so I thought that I could at least return it. "The Red Lung virus got to my dad," I said. "That's why I live here now. Ortus was overwhelmed by the plague and I had to get out. He gave me this sword before I left."

Michael tried to get me to lend the sword to him, but I kept it firmly in my hand. Instead, he eyed it carefully from where he was, "That's a vampire's sword."

My eyebrows rose. I didn't know what that meant, but any sentence having the word 'vampire' in it had to be deadly. He explained. "The sword was made by a vampire." He pointed to an engraving at the tip of the sword, "that isn't a decoration. It's a crafter's mark."

"So how do you know a vampire crafted this one?"

"Do you really think a human could carve this?"

I peered at the engraving closer and saw dozens of intricate lines encased in a circle. Some seemed as if they were too tiny to see, it looked like an art. No human could be so precise with such detail. "Your point?"

Michael shrugged, "Just a thought. You're a pretty good swordsman, Kenzie, but your slow and have no technique."

"Are you saying that you have technique?" I challenged.

He snorted, "I am the perfect swordsman." Then he picked up a stick with his right hand and held his left behind his back. His stance told me to come at him, but he lunged first, faster than my eye could catch.

It was just a stick, and if my sword could graze it, the wood would probably break, but Michael always kept it out of reach. Not because he was some 6'0 beast, but because he _did _have technique. He left no openings and deflected my attacks with ease. I felt like a fool with a big sword that I didn't know how to use.

It got to a point where I had to stop and rest against a tree. I was out of breath and Michael's stick was still whole. "Alright so you can fight," I admitted, "could you teach me?"

He grinned, "It would be my pleasure."


	3. Rabids

**Chapter Three: Rabids**

I no longer spent half the day napping, waiting for the meat in my home to cook. Instead, Michael spent my energy, teaching me how to 'properly' fight. I had to admit, it was helpful, but I always felt exhausted at the end of the day and he ended up waking me every morning.

Michael convinced me to carry the sheath of my sword around with me so that I could put it somewhere and he also said that it could be used as a defensively and offensively. So I kept it strapped to my hip now, but it always felt like such a drag.

He forced me to give him back his daggers so we could practice, but I kept the gun to myself. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, I just couldn't risk it. Eventually we both fell into a routine of waking up, hunting, setting the meat to cook, and practicing. We didn't get in each other's way and backed each other up. Life in the mountains got a little better for me, but I refused to admit to the fact that I liked having him around. Sure, he was good company, but could I really call him a friend?

"You've pretty much grasped all of the techniques I have taught you," he said, "so I think it's about time I leave this place soon."

I bit my lip to stop myself from asking him why he wanted to leave. "Is there some business you need to take care of?"

He laughed, "a lot. And I have been here too long anyway; some people are bound to be looking for me."

"When are you planning on leaving?" I whispered as we crept around trees.

"Tomorrow."

I gripped my sword harder in my hand and let out an exasperated sigh, "Where are all the rabbits today? Usually we can at least get two!"

He didn't press the previous matter and instead looked around, "You're right. Where area all the animals? I haven't seen anything today."

With puzzled expressions, we crept deeper into the forest quietly and slowly. It was the perfect day for hunting as well. It was sunny with a slight downwind breeze. After walking for a while longer, we finally spotted an animal. But it was one we knew that we could never take on.

The bear from the other day sat over the river, clenching in its mouth a bloody fish. It turned to us and I could immediately tell that something was wrong. Its eyes were half white with blood oozing out of them as if it were sick, but it showed no signs of being so. When I looked at it, there was no sign of the calm, tranquil bear from before. Now there was only a beast, irate and hungry.

There was a shuffle behind the bear and several people appeared. They looked human and I could easily mistake them as one if I looked at them from a distance. But there was something that set them apart from Michael and I. Their skin was pale as a sheet, their eyes fully white with blood oozing out of them at an even faster pace than the bears. They had claws and as soon as they turned to look at us, they flashed their fangs in a terrifyingly mad grin. But their fangs weren't sharp and long like a vampire's. Theirs were jagged and uneven, like broken glass.

"Michael, what the hell is that?" I whispered slowly to Michael. He seemed puzzled and confused and even a little terrified, although it was the first time I had seen him so.

Everyone was silent, no one daring to breath or move until Michael said a final word. "Run."

We turned without a second thought, going down the mountain for more speed. They followed in pursuit as fast as a vampire. _They look like vampires, but crazier. Have they lost to the Hunger? Or is this some kind of plague? _

I didn't have time to think and kept running with Michael. "Cross the river!" I shouted, spotting a log that had fallen. It branched over the river like an unstable bridge, but it was our only hope. Would they dare to cross the river? It wasn't very deep, but I couldn't tell if water affected them or not.

Michael let me cross first and I did, my foot slipping on the log. I caught myself before almost toppling over again. A sound cut me off as I almost made it to the other side—Michael. He screamed, a horrible sound I knew I would never forget. I wanted to go back for him but his eyes pleaded me to go on as their claws ripped at his flesh.

I heard the sound of snapping, so easily resembling the sound of a twig when stepped on, but I knew that it wasn't so. I couldn't look back again, knowing that if I did, I would only see torn up flesh and broken bones.

The log creaked horribly under my weight and I quickly jumped across, making another run down the mountain. I stopped when I realized that the vampire-like things were on this side of the river as well. I whipped out my sword and turned my back to the river as they surrounded me, but I didn't have a chance to fight as they all lunged.

The force pushed me over, head hitting a rock at the base of the river as I kicked and screamed. _Keep your hand on your sword, _I told myself and in a fury or pain and rage, slashed blindly at the creatures with one hand. The other protected my throat from the pale creatures as I kicked another in the face, fully aware that my flesh was being torn apart.

There were more snaps and suddenly I found that my arms couldn't work anymore. _Just twigs, _I hopelessly reassured myself. _Keep your throat protected. _More of the monsters crowded around me; attracted to the blood I shed. A crazy idea formed in my head. I didn't want to die, if anything, I would rather die by drowning than by these creatures.

Using the last of my strength, I pushed off with my legs and sank into the river, the currents carrying me and whatever creature clung to me. I gasped for air and tried to open my eyes, but I never got the chance when my head hit a rock.


	4. Turned

**Chapter Four: Turned **

The nightmare started when I woke. I couldn't tell where I was. My fingers traced the earth and felt the scratchy grass beneath my skin. I tried to open my eyes but I could only get one open, and it was dark. It hurt to look around but I could tell that we were outside, away from the mountain. Pain pulsed in every fibre of my body as if all the blood in me were poison. I tried to twitch my toes but didn't feel anything. Confused, I also tried lifting my head, but quickly stopped as it sent another wave of pain to every inch of me. Through my examination, I almost missed it when the person looming over me spoke.

"You're awake?" He didn't stop for an answer, eyes impatient. "Damn and I always liked my prey unconscious." He turned my head so that I faced him and I kept one eye open as he bared fangs at me. Immediately panic struck me, knowing that I was beside a vampire. His eyes were brown and blood didn't spill out so I didn't think he was crazy, but he was still a vampire.

I coughed, "don't…don't kill me."

The vampire laughed, "You're dying anyway. I'll be doing you a favour, dying by my hand." He continued, "but I got to say, you have fight in you. You fought the rabids and even managed to escape some on the other side of the river. I've been watching you and I've seen you practice. You learn quickly and you have the skill and the drive. But just how much potential do you have? Enough to fight off the Rabidism if I were to kill you?"

"Michael…?" My voice broke and I coughed before clearing my throat and trying again. "Did you see Michael?"

"Who? No one else was there but you, girl. Now pick. You have at the most a minute before I drain you." He smiled, "In face, give me one good reason why I, Acaelus Thorne, shouldn't kill you."

Acaelus…where have I heard that name before? It was never a name I heard in the mountains, but back when I lived in Ortus, it was a name whispered on the streets in fear. Acaelus Thorne. That was where I heard the name. Rumours had called him the best vampire in the world. Stronger and faster than anyone else, Acaelus had never been captured or beaten.

_Michael. _What had happened to him? Now that I realized it, I wanted to be a vampire. I wanted to figure out where the hell Michael was and why the vampire next to me didn't see him. Nothing made sense and I wasn't done with this corrupted world just yet.

"You should," I said.

Acaelus raised an eyebrow.

"You're the best vampire, but you're not the only one. You know I reek of blood and the vampire over there looks hungry," I said, quickly glancing at the vampire hiding in the shadows beside us. "He looks hungry enough to strike a fight with you over me. I'll strike a deal with him and train under whomever I find. I'll spend decades training just for the moment I have my chance at you for not Turning me. I'll wait until you think I've forgotten today. I'll wait until you think it was just a dumb dying girl's threat. After I'm a Master, you'll jump at shadows for a while. But after you jump a dozen times and I'm not there, you won't jump once. And that's when I'll be there. I don't care if you kill me at the same time. I'll trade my life for yours."

Acaelus's eyes barely had to shift to go from dangerously amused to simply dangerous. But I didn't see them through the tears brimming in my eyes. _Why the hell do I want this so much? If I get Turned, I'll become a vampire. I'll kill people. _But would it be worth it? I didn't care if Michael lived or died, but I needed more time to process what had happened. And I wasn't done with him yet, especially when he owed me a favour.

"You forget one thing," he whispered, "there is no way I would lose to the vampire hiding in the shadows. And you're still dying. How would you strike a deal with him even if I let him have you?"

The words sprang to my mind before I even had the time to process them. I didn't know who spoke them, but the words rushed out of me almost as if someone was commanding me to speak. "Because when I Turn, I'll have something so valuable that even you will yearn for it. And it will be something that will save your life."

There was a moment of silence and I fought to push against the cloak that threatened to pull me under. "You'll have to fight for it." He said suddenly. "You may end up like a rabid and if that happens I'll kill you. Even if you successfully become a vampire, you'll have to fight to be my apprentice. The fact that I am siring you means that I must train you, and It will never be easy. I will push you until you wish you could die. But I will make you stronger. So pick."

His words played over in my mind. I was only nineteen; there was definitely part of the world I hadn't seen yet. I hadn't lived much of a life until now, but if I was immortal, I could see through with that. But if he was finally giving me a chance to see the world again, even if in a different darkness, I would take it.

"Turn me…Acaelus." I rasped, "I'll take anything and everything you throw at me…and I'll surpass you."

He sneered, "You're interesting, girl."

There was a whoosh in the air and I swore that he left my side, but he was back in the next instant. The vampire in the shadows had disappeared and I didn't have time to ask where they had gone.

I wasn't prepared for the pain that came next. He gave no warning as his fangs grew and he sunk them into my neck. I felt the blood leave my body at an alarming rate. My body felt numb and heavy, almost as if I had a fever. Time passed slowly but I had no sense of what was going on other than the fact that my blood was being drunk.

Something warm was pressed into my mouth and as soon as I swallowed, I wanted to spit it back up. "Drink," Acaelus said. There was no room for argument and I listened to the Master vampire.

He pulled his hand away after I had taken a few gulps and lifted my body up so that he could carry me. Strangely, I didn't feel any pain, didn't feel anything at all as my eyes slowly fluttered shut.


	5. New

**PART II: VAMPIRE**

**Chapter Five: New**

I opened my eyes and gazed above me at the world in wonder. Or, I guess the windowless room. It wasn't very fancy, but the bed was comfy and even though I could smell the cool air of night outside, the room was still so bright. Everything was so _clear_.

And yet…not overwhelming. My eyes travelled along the wall of the room and could easily count the number of intricate small cracks hidden. I could distinguish the individual grains of wood in the door, and see the faint finger prints on the knob.

My fingers brushed my hair and I narrowed my eyes. Was it really my hair? This hair felt smooth and sleek. It wasn't unkempt and uneven like my regular hair. And yet, I couldn't seem to come up with any other explanation to how it had changed other than the fact that I had become a vampire.

That was when I noticed my clothes. I no longer adorned the ripped clothing I had previously on. Instead I wore dark jeans, leather boots, a black top, and an army jacket. Everything felt and smelled new and the clothes didn't feel restricting at all.

I took a breath…and immediately choked.

The air felt wrong and dry. Or rather, it wasn't the air but the action that felt different. I gulped another whiff of air awkwardly again and found that I could taste the room in it. All the dust and the cloth of the bed sheets. It was weird but it fascinated me.

Then I breathed through my nose and could smell all sorts of things. Wood, lavender, silk, cement, and…food. My throat suddenly felt parched and dry, like I needed to heavily release a cough that wouldn't come out. The sensation spread through my whole body until it drove me crazy, like a fire burning through my entire being. My eyes snapped to the bags on the bed side table. Before I could tell what was happening I had ripped it open and ignoring the cup beside it, I drained the contents of all of the bags.

The wet liquid that filled my mouth was cold and tasted weird, but it felt pleasant. I felt like a bottle being filled and the more I drank, the more content I became. The burning in my throat receded and only then did I realize what I had been doing.

Blood.

Little drips of the red substance clung to the finished bag, like crumbs from a piece of bread. I dropped the bag and a thousand thoughts processed through my mind at once. The blood was revolting to the human part of me, but then I was reminded that I wasn't human anymore and that the blood tasted…good.

I shook my head, "What the hell am I thinking?" I couldn't accept this so easily. There had to be another way for me to feed.

"Are you feeling regret?" A voice suddenly said, and I realized that I wasn't alone in the room.

The voice was familiar but came into my ears differently. I could hear each syllable the person spoke clearly. When I looked up, I met the dark eyes of Acaelus Thorne, my sire. I leaped out of the bed to face him but was momentarily preoccupied by the nature of my movement. Everything happened so…fast now. The instant I considered getting off the bed, I was already standing. It was a little disorientating and yet my mind could handle it.

With my new senses, I got a better look at my sire. I would easily pass him off as a human if not for his face. He looked like he could be in his late twenties, with black hair and blue eyes. The stern look on his face made him look older though. He was also tall, about as tall as Michael.

_Michael…_

"I chose this," I said firmly. "I don't agree with a lot of the things vampires do but I won't regret my choice. And I won't let you regret it either."

"What's your name, girl?"

"Kenzie."

"I'm going to make you new. Kenzie died last night," Acaelus said.

My eyes narrowed. He wanted me to give up my name? My past? They were the only things that kept me human. If I started over…what kind of person would I become? "Problem?" He asked. "If you don't like it you can walk out or die. It makes no difference to me."

I sighed; I knew this life would be difficult. "What's my new name?"

"Gabriel." He replied, "With this name, your past goes away. Forget it—don't cling to your human life. Today you are born anew and you will follow me."

"Where are we?"

"New Covington. Salazar, the Prince, lent us these quarters as a place to train you." Acaelus said, "he owed me a favour."

"And my training starts…?"

Acaelus smirked, "Now."

I followed him out to a different room, one filled with books and writing material. "Then may I ask you something, Acaelus?"

He turned sharply to look me in the eye. "I am your sire," he said sternly. "And while I train you to become a proper vampire, you will address me by Master Thorne."

"Then Master Thorne, sir, I have a question."

"What is it?"

I shifted uncomfortably, not knowing if he would have the answer to my question. While he was surely wise and knowledgeable, he wasn't a woman. "Be confident in every action, even when you feel distraught. Don't hide anything from me and trust me. Can you do that?"

I nodded," then…Master Thorne, do female vampires get moon blood?"

He cleared his throat, "A vampire's body is immortal, which means that we do not change. We are dead. It is necessary for a woman's body to grow and change in order to have kin, but because our bodies do not change, woman cannot give birth. A woman's body also changes during moon blood. Which means that no, female vampire do not have moon blood."

There was a tug at my lips and I had to stop myself from trying to grin too hard. _No more moon blood! _The thought coursed through my head until it made me giddy. "Good to know," I said. "Then shall we start?"

Acaelus tossed me a book, "Do you know how to read?"


	6. Training

**Chapter Six: Training**

Well of course I didn't know how to read!

I lived in a vampire city until I was ten years old, a place where books were forbidden! Acaelus didn't expect me to know how to and we soon got to that.

While he didn't seem like it, the Master vampire was a good teacher. Sometimes I thought that he wanted to hit me whenever I couldn't live up to expectation, but he was surprisingly patient. I kept up with his pace, my mind handling the concepts easily now. It took me some time to remember all the sounds of each letters and how to put them together though. English was a very complicated language.

I learned about rabids and how to recognize them. He told me that they had recently broke out from New Covington as well and that the Fringe was in havoc. I learned the story of Kanin, the Master who betrayed his kind. After that the days flew by in a constant rotation between learning literacy lessons, vampire etiquette, history and basic knowledge.

We went hunting so that I could see the new physical changes with my body, but also so that I could learn the concept of what I would have to do when I was hungry.

I didn't ask him where my sword was or when he would train me to fight. I listened to him and followed the lessons that drained me out every day. Still, he didn't treat me like a girl and I respected him even more for that.

He didn't teach me how to fight until I could read, lie, and recite the knowledge of vampires that he had taught me perfectly. He trained my memory with lists and patterns and only then when I felt as if I could become a scholar did he give my sword back to me.

But he didn't just give me my sword; he gave me another as well.

The sword was aqua in colour with a darker grip than the rest of the blade, which was completely straight. The hilt was perpendicular to the blade and was designed to look like conjoined dagger blades. I tested the tip and found that it was sharp as well. In the centre of the hilt was a large gem. The sword was light the blade itself was a deep aqua colour, also about the same length as my other sword. I peered at the tip of the sword and found the same intricate engraving that was on my other.

"What is the sword made of?" I asked Acaelus in awe.

"Crystalline ingot," he said. "The gem is aquamarine and curiously, it is made by the same crafter of your other sword." He tossed me a sheath, presumably meant for the new blade. "I could see how awkward you were as a human with the sheaths on your hips. Keep the sheaths on your back."

I did so with the strap he gave me. They didn't weigh me down at all. "Why are you giving me two swords?"

"You are going to fight with dual blades now," he told me, "It's much more effective than just one. Now attack me," Acaelus said, picking up two of his own swords.

"What?"

The side of Acaelus's sword smashed into my head with enough force to knock me off my feet.

"I order. You obey. No hesitations. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." I climbed to my feet and picked up my swords.

"Attack."

I did, wildly. I knew what to do with the one sword in my right hand, but the other felt awkward. Acaelus deflected my blows or stepped to one side so that I fell over from the force of my own swings. All the while, he spoke.

"I told you to fight before I Turned you, didn't I? People will want to kill you just because I sired you. The question is if you will be ready," he said. "You aren't making art, you're making corpses. Dead is dead. Or would you rather it be you who dies?" He parried quickly and my blades went skittering across the floor. "Your swords are extensions of your arm. They fight together, they don't take turns. It's like dancing, think of them as partners." He walked after me as I picked my swords up and engaged me again. "Don't play with your enemies. Don't go for the one-thrust beautiful finish. Cut someone twenty times and let them collapse from blood loss—then finish them. Don't make it beautiful. You aren't making art, you're making corpses."

He sneered, "And humans? You can just tear them apart. You'll see what I mean later when I mean that you will have no problem with them. No, I'm training you for the vampires that will come after you. Do you think I've sired anyone before? Let them in on all my techniques? You, Gabriel, are the first, and you will grasp it all or die. Never have mercy on a target."

"Life is empty. When we take a life, we aren't taking anything of value. Vampires are monsters, killers, demons. That's all we do. That's all we are. Humans are our food." Acaelus said, "Repeat it."

I did so, and repeated the statement several times as we fought. It was a wonder to me how my body never tired or felt fatigue. We trained all day and I could only feel more fascination for the art. It was hard work but my vampire body helped me cope. The lessons continued, physical action with a continuously running monologue, each lesson summarized, demonstrated, and summarized again.

When I made mistakes, Acaelus didn't yell. If I didn't block correctly, I was merely receiving punishment when the swords crashed against my shins. If I couldn't recite the lessons of the day and expand on anything that Acaelus asked about, I took a blow for every one I forgot.

It was all fair, but I never relaxed. If I failed too much, just Acaelus hit me, he could kill me. All it would take for him would be one quick blow. I wouldn't even know I'd failed until I found myself dying.

The history and literacy lessons continued as well. But most of my time was spent fighting. Acaelus didn't just teach me how to fight with dual swords. He said that after I finished training with the swords, which would be my primary weapons, he would teach me how to make a weapon out of everything in a room. He said that he would teach me how to fight with my body and several other weapons. And he did.

More than once I wanted to quit. But there was no quitting. More than once, I wanted to kill Acaelus for all the bloody work. But trying would mean death. More than once, I wanted to cry. But I vowed that I wouldn't—and I didn't.

And slowly my humanity retreated deep into my soul.


	7. Cora

**Chapter Seven: Cora**

Decades passed since the end of my training.

Before I had a chance to realize it, I was permitted to call Master Thorne Acaelus, but something felt wrong about it. Slowly I got into the habit, believing that since he was such an irritating old man, I should call him by his name.

I met Salazar on different occasions during the training and put my etiquette skills to the test, thanking him for letting him use a portion of his place. He in return said that he would do anything for Acaelus and was curious as to why he sired me. I couldn't answer.

We occupied the quarters for two decades. Neither of us grew in size, only in skill. I found myself being able to fight on par with Acaelus, having no problem wielding two swords at once. He even forced me to stay awake a little longer each day to train my endurance during the daylight hours.

When we were hungry, we drank the blood provided to us, but I preferred to go outside to hunt because the blood given to us was always cold. That being said, we only fed once a week and only in the area of bandits. I convinced Acaelus that if we could, we should be able to choose who we fed from, and after he accepted that, I didn't complain any more.

The city had regained control and no more rabids were inside the walls of the Fringe, only on the outside. The Red Lung virus still threatened those in the Fringe but most of them seemed alive.

We left New Covington then and started travelling to different cities to check their situation but it was mostly because we were bored. While we traveled we rested in the earth but I slowly I was able to wake in the middle of the day if need be. Of course, I never stayed awake long, feeling uncomfortable knowing that if I came up from the ground, the sun would blaze right through me.

Sometimes I was afraid that Acaelus would leave me; that I would wake one night and find him gone from my side, leaving me to live the rest of my immortal life. But he was always there when I woke. I grew faster as the years flew by as well but never as fast as Acaelus.

We never spoke of Michael again either. He was part of my past life and I was never allowed to talk about that. It barely crossed my mind anymore. So many years had passed since I had been turned that even if Michael stayed alive he would be dead anyway.

"I hear they have found a cure for Rabidism," Azura, the Prince of Old D.C. said one day as we stayed in her residence.

"Oh?" Acaelus said, interested.

"Kanin and his daughter found it, apparently. Sarren died as well," She said. "I'll have to pass along my thanks to him."

I couldn't tell if she wanted to thank Kanin for finding a cure or for killing Sarren. But both facts were a relief. Acaelus and I had had a run-in with Sarren a couple of times and the only thing I could say about the guy was that he was on his own level of mad. I never felt comfortable knowing he was around.

"Oh, and ah, Acaelus? I forgot to mention something," Azura said. "Cora has announced that she is coming to pay me a visit."

I stifled a laugh as I peered at his face. "When is she coming?" He asked, dread in his voice.

"Should be here anytime now."

What I saw in his face next wasn't something to laugh about. It was dangerous and serious. "We're leaving," he told me.

I bolted upright, not sure of the problem. He could literally handle anyone and yet he was avoiding Cora? I knew that my sire always avoided her due to his past relationship, but I had never met her. How crazy could she be?

I didn't let my doubts show on my face as we descended the stairwell, almost bumping into his chest as he abruptly stopped in front of me. Footsteps echoed near the door as if someone were to come through. Acaelus turned to me and pushed me upstairs, telling me to see Azura. I didn't see what was happening but followed his orders as a woman came into the door frame. She was shorter than me and looked older. Her hair was brown, her eyes a cross between brown and red. She didn't spot me, so I quickly moved upstairs.

"Acaelus!" She cried; her voice high was as a bell. She moved to hug him. He stepped out of the way passively and I could almost see the wall of aloofness that he was setting up around himself.

"Cora," he said, acknowledging her presence, but nothing more.

"Azura," I whispered, turning my back on their conversation as I climbed the stairs. "Acaelus told me to see you."

Azura thought for a second, as if wondering what my sire could want her to do with me before taking my hand and shoving me into the adjacent room, "Don't come out!" She hissed.

What the hell was happening? Nevertheless, I heeded the Prince's words and turned to the room. It was one of the guest rooms and the fridge was fully stocked with blood. I drank all of it and sated the Hunger.

"Oh, what's this? Azura did you have another guest? I do hope that you will have room for me," Her voice spoke as if she were right outside the room I was in. "Do you know who this is? Smells female."

"Just another guest of mine," Azura said curtly.

I stopped breathing. The action had been a habit that I took up in an attempt to blend in with the humans I passed sometimes. But I didn't want anything to give away the fact that I was in this room. She could already smell me and while I didn't fear her, I didn't dare defy Acaelus. What if I was to ruin some master plan just be opening the door?

There was a faint knock on the door and I could feel the presence of my sire through the other side. I cracked it open and peered into the face of my sire. "What the hell is going on?" I hissed.

"We're leaving," he said, his tone calling for me to be quiet and follow. We crept swiftly, like shadows racing across the night, and left Old D.C.

"Does Azura know?" I asked him as we left. Even when we escaped the walls, he never slowed, and I was right behind him.

"She was informed," Acaelus said.

I stopped, "will you please tell me why we are fleeing?"

"We have to keep going. Cora is the fastest vampire I have ever met. She could come up to us at any moment without us even realizing until we're captured. But if you ever get into a fight with her, you must rely on your ears, not your sight. Got it?" My sire continued at a run, threatening to leave me behind. I caught up to him and he continued. "Cora is a crazy bitch. She cannot control her temper nor her jealousy. That is why I broke things off rather harshly and while I am not afraid of her, I have been avoiding her ever since I sired you."

"So you're saying she would be jealous of me? Even if I'm your blood daughter?"

"Dangerously so." He said before stopping abruptly, "Shit." He moved to grab me but the world spun and I found my arms tied to my back and two hands placed dangerously on my head and neck.

I didn't have to turn to tell who it was. Her scent was overwhelming but what surprised me most was the fact that I didn't see her coming at all. I squirmed but she kept a tight hold on me and I knew that if I thrashed a bit more, she would rip my head off.

"So this was the female that you have been hiding from me, Acaelus?" She said, "It makes me a little crazy, knowing that this bitch has stayed with you for the past fifty years. Tell me, why did my dear Acaelus decide to sire someone like _you_?"

I found it funny how I still didn't know. Was it spunk he saw in me that day? Was he just betting on me? Or was he simply bored. "Ask him yourself."

The Master vampire ignored the question and looked at Cora straight in the eye, "Let her go."

"Oh you have changed have you?" She twisted my neck a little, "Tell me, when did you grow a heart for this girl? I swear you didn't have one from the way we broke off."

In a flash, Acaelus lunged my way, but I already found myself in the same position, except high atop the nearby tree. This vampire was seriously fast. "You don't have to worry, Acaelus—there's no way I would kill your pet just yet. No, I'll have some fun. I'll show her just how I felt when you broke me." She laughed, "And you'll be there for the show!"

I gasped as I felt a sudden burning in my chest. My eyes followed a stake, lodged right beneath my heart. No one had ever gotten close enough to stake me before, but the burning I felt was worse than starving. I felt as if I would go mad any second, and couldn't help but cry out as my body sunk deeper and deeper into hibernation.


	8. Torture

**Chapter Eight: Torture**

The pain was bewildering.

I woke to a cell. There were cement walls around me and even a metal door to keep me out. I looked to my hands and found that I was crucified upon the wall with stakes. The stake underneath my heart had disappeared as well as my clothes. I had on a pair of dirty shorts and a shirt on now. The more I thought about the stakes pinning me at my hands and feet, the more I felt the fiery pain spread. It was a wonder to me how I had come out of hibernation.

Across me in their own cell was Acaelus, suffering the same treatment, except he wasn't crucified with stakes. He was merely hung on the wall with chains. Other than that, there were no injuries that I could see on his body. Thank goodness.

A shrill laugh echoed through the place as Cora appeared, unlocking my cell and stepping forward. "You're awake, huh? Impressive." She saw how uncomfortable I looked on the wall and sneered, "If you think this is painful I'll show you what I really have in store."

"Are you Hungry? I bet not but now that I think about it…I am," she smiled. "And I _have _always wanted to know what it's been like to drink from a vampire." She whispered the last part.

_You are freaking crazy, _I thought, wanting with all my heart to break out of the stakes and kill her. All I could do was snarl and thrash as she came closer to me and opened her mouth, fangs coming out.

I jerked and arched my body as her fangs clamped down my neck. My instincts kicked in and soon I was thrashing and snarling, swearing and hissing like the monster I was. I tried to lower my head so that I could reach her neck as well but I was too far, and could only endure the pain for what felt like hours.

The blood slowly drained my body and the Hunger became more evident. Would she suck me dry and kill me like this? My body convulsed and contracted in pain, it felt like a thousand daggers pierced my body, especially at my throat. I tried to clutch my body, to curl into a ball as if it would ease the pain, but it only drove the stakes in further. Bloody tears sprang to my eyes, clouding my vision, causing me to breath in sharp and shallow rasps as if the pain could escape me in breaths.

"A-acaelus," I croaked, my desperate tone made my words almost inaudible, but they still echoed around the eerie, empty building.

Hearing the call for my sire, Cora bit harder, jealousy flaring around her. Amazingly, she stopped and released the hold on me. The pain lessened, but she didn't close the wound on my neck, which ached like a bruise constantly being pressed on. I could feel the little amount of blood in my body, could feel the need to hibernate.

"I won't drain you just yet," She licked her lips, "You'll face more than just this."

I snarled as she left, but was cut off as my body felt heavy and I slept once more.

XXXXX

This time I woke to the smell of my blood. I looked around the room and found the walls stained with it so much that the stench could be smelled a mile away. Cora stabbed a knife into my gut and carved as if she were painting, making art work. I groaned and screamed in anguish, looking past her to Acaelus's cell. He was awake as well, and injury free. It made me hate him. I was in my cell enduring every pain possible and he was simply chained to a wall. _Damn him! _The monster in me said, _It's his fault!_

As if he could sense my thoughts, he lifted his head and for the first time in my entire life, I saw vulnerability and guilt in his eyes. The demon in me retreated. _What the hell was I thinking? Acaelus was the one who saved me. It's only Cora's fault that I'm here. _I desperately pushed that thought to my sire, hoping that maybe he would hear it.

My voice was raw from screaming. Crazy thoughts slipped into my head as I clung to my sanity. I wondered how I could tell her to kill me, but my voice wouldn't work. I shook my head and clenched my eyes shut, biting my lip so hard that I tasted blood.

Blood! I was hungry. So hungry. I smelled the familiar scent of food outside the cell and became crazy with desire and longing. Food! My mind screamed and I couldn't tell if I was doing so out loud either. Live became dull to me, black and white. Either I was in pain, or in even more pain. The days dragged on and the only thing that kept me from succumbing to the Hunger was the thought of Acaelus and Michael. I sighed and tried to find happiness in the fact that it was me being hurt and not my sire.


	9. Guardian Angel

**Chapter Nine: Guardian Angel**

"I'll take you back," a familiar voice tugged at my mind. Who was it? I fluttered my eyes open and stared at Cora, her back facing me as she talked to a man in the cell adjacent to mine.

"It's too late for you to take me back, dear. I don't want you anymore. I simply want to show you the pain you put me through. You see your daughter over there? The pain she and you feel cannot even measure to the anguish you put me through when you left." Cora said, "I know you think I'm a crazy bitch, but I've lived for centuries and I'm bored. So call me a sick sadist—I don't care. But you're next, dear, after I'm finished with her."

She turned to me and unlocked my cage before ripping something off the ceiling. It was a metal covering and without it there was a clear shot of the night sky. I suddenly realized what she had planned for me. "Watch your precious daughter burn."

Cora turned and locked both our cells again, "I'll be back before dawn to watch the show but before then I have business to take care of."

"Damn her," the vampire said. "You awake, Gabriel? We're breaking out before dawn."

Who did this guy think he was? His face seemed familiar, but I couldn't put a name to his face. "Who are you?" I whispered because I couldn't muster a stronger voice.

"Blood. You need blood," he said, deep in thought.

Blood? Blood! I swallowed and tried to calm the Hunger but it was dangerously close to losing control. "Who will I succumb to first?" I thought aloud, "The Hunger or the sun?" I chuckled bitterly, "maybe both."

"Shut up." He said, "Where was the determined vampire I raised? All I see now is a hopeless monster who has given up. I, Acaelus Thorne, don't recall training such a demon."

I squeezed my eyes shut, his name racing across my mind and my memories. How many times had I said his name? How could I forget? "Master Thorne…?"

"And who are you?"

"Gabriel…Thorne?"

"Good. Your Hunger should be eating your insides out right now, but I'm going to give you permission to do something I never thought I would allow." He said, "cling to your humanity. Cling to your sanity. Do you remember the fierce girl I found in the mountain named Kenzie?"

"What are you saying?" I rasped. Everything he was telling me went against all the things he taught me.

"Until we get out of here, Gabriel, I'm telling you to remember your past. Talk about it. Remember it. Live in it. But don't give into the Hunger. Understand?"

"Yes, Master Thorne," I said out of reflex.

Acaelus grunted, trying to break free from his chains. I closed my eyes and remembered my human life. A girl raised in a vampire city. A woman living in the mountains that found an injured man and nursed him to health. _Michael…._I smiled subconsciously, _you still owe me that favour. If there is a heaven, I know that you would end up there. And if you are there, could you please save me? _

A light swirled around the outside of our cells; I almost mistook it for daylight. It was almost blinding, but I kept my eyes open, staring at the beautiful white light. In the light I could see all the colours of the rainbow, and at the end of the spectrum, an eighth colour I had no name for.

"Sorry I'm late," a deep familiar voice said.

My jaw opened slightly, disbelieving. Was I dreaming? No, vampires didn't dream. Was I hallucinating? "M-michael…?" I breathed.

He looked exactly the same as the day he died, except he was dressed in all white now. He had a healthy glow about him. But that didn't make sense, because he was supposed to be dead. He took out a brilliant golden sword and slashed at the metal cell door between us. It fell aside and he stepped through. "I never thought that I would see you as a vampire, Kenzie, but a favour is still a favour. I'll save you."

The scent of blood suddenly grew overwhelming as he stepped closer to me. It wasn't a dream/ He was tangible and alive, even after fifty years. He should have been an old man by now but he was still young. All the sudden questions that sprung to my mind slipped away and all I could think about was his blood. "That might not be a good idea," I told him, but he still came closer and tilted his neck so that I could bite down.

I realized that he _wanted _me to bite him. Was this his way of saving me? I didn't have time to think as my fangs grew and plunged into his neck. His blood was different than any other I had drunk before. It was sweet and addictive, like the cream of a human dessert. And yet I found myself completely filled and the Hunger sated after ten gulps. I released him and closed the wound, feeling weird and tingly.

"This is going to hurt," he warned before ripping the stakes from my feet out. I wasn't prepared and screamed. "It'll be over soon," he said and ripped the other two out from my hands. With nothing pinning my to the wall I collapsed against him, feeling the wounds close up.

He let me drink from him once more to heal my wounds. While I drunk, I could feel how much blood there was in him, and it was a lot. No matter how much I drank, he never seemed to be fazed. There was definitely something wrong, but I was tired and I was riding on my old trust for him.

Michael handed me my old clothes. I changed in front of him and while he tried to be discreet about it and turn away, I didn't care and changed anyway. He passed me my swords and I hefted the sheaths on my back, the swords in them.

When I took a look at Acaelus, I realized that he wasn't moving. I looked up at the night sky and found the moon in same place it had been an hour ago. "What's happening?" I whispered.

"I froze time," he said, "because I needed to take care of you and explain a few things."

Tears sprung to my eyes but I pushed them away, "Where were you?"

"My name is Michael," he started, "and I am an archangel. Yes, there is a God, and yes, I wasn't lying when I said my family was strict."

"I didn't think there was a God," I said, "Didn't he abandon this world?"

He shook his head, "God will always grant the wishes of humanity. When enough people wished that they didn't have to die, He created the vampires." He said, "I-I was never supposed to come down to Earth, that day you found me. I was going to leave but I met you and ended up staying.

"The day I died, I was really just returning to Heaven. There's really no way to go back other than to let the body I had been hosting die. And there's no way to leave the place other than to err…fall."

I chuckled slightly, "So what you said that day really was the truth."

Michael grinned, "of course. Although usually the fall is more graceful, like how I appeared today. But I've already broken enough rules, Kenzie. And I won't be able to see you again. Maybe in a few centuries, if you're still alive; when an archangel decides to come down to Earth, it's one at a time and we're forbidden to meet people. I obviously broke that rule so it'll take me a long time to gain another trip."

"So why did you come back?"

"I had a favour to fulfill, remember?" He sighed, "I have to go now."

"How will you return this time?" I said, "I don't have to…kill you, right?"

Michael smiled, "no. I'm able to destroy the host as well." The same beautiful light started to surround him as he stared at me. "I hope I can see you soon, Kenzie. Be warned, my blood may bring you strange effects."

"Thank you," were the only words I got out before time started turning again and all that was left of Michael was the empty space he used to stand in.


	10. A Fight to End It

**Chapter Ten: A Fight to End It**

"Gabriel?" Acaelus looked up from his cell, confused.

"I'll explain later," I said, slashing his door open with my swords. "We're getting out." With a powerful swing of my arms, I cut the chains binding the vampire and we exited the cell.

The tingling in my body hadn't receded, but it didn't both me. I felt stronger and faster in a way. It was strange, but I felt as if these were the effects of drinking Michael's blood. I had an archangel's blood in me. It was a strange thought.

We entered a big room filled with technology. Big screens littered the place and I had no idea what they were; only that it was old. I could tell that it was cold in the room but it didn't affect us at all. Leaning against the wall were Acaelus's swords, which he quickly snatched and held in his hands.

"What is this place?" I asked my sire.

"It looks like an office," he said. "An office is a place where humans used to work; although it looks like it got buried somewhere underground now."

"The hole in the ceiling of my cell didn't look deep from the surface so I don't think we're far down." I said, "In any case, we should find a way out."

I heard a strangled cry accompanied by a quick whoosh of air and instinct took over as I blocked a figure with my swords. It was Cora, whom had returned early. She looked pissed. "How did you get out?" She raged with a snarl. I jumped to where Acaelus was and we instantly formed a plan to take her out.

Together, Acaelus and I fought. Acaelus was capable of aerial moves I couldn't even comprehend even after being his daughter for so long. He flipped off walls and the pillars, always landing on his feet like a cat. I didn't know if it was adrenaline, but I felt stronger and quicker than ever. While Cora was definitely fast, so much so that we had to close our eyes sometimes and listen for her, after a while, I found myself able to see her.

Cora held her whip-like blade and snagged Acaelus's foot midflight. It flipped him off balance and he crashed into the floor. Cora yanked the sword in as if railing in a fish, but I was there first and cut through the metal, freeing him. Acaelus didn't even pause. He was just up and fighting.

She faked a lunge at me and instead crashed into Acaelus, punching his gut with the hilt of her sword. I was on her in a second, grabbing her and throwing her across the room so that she crashed into one of the big screens on the wall.

As we fought together, Acaelus and I began to not just fight in unison, but with unity. We danced a fight that could only be woven with the bond we had created through the last fifty years as father and daughter. We were vampires, we were blood family, and we understood.

We covered each other and saved each other's lives. Acaelus intercepted an attack I could have never avoided and I realized just how amazing the Master vampire was. How foolish I was to think that I could be on par with him. I still had a lot to learn, but I was closer to him than anyone else and I revelled in the thought.

The fight was still dangerous and I was half scared out of my mind. But my sire brought me strength, and I was angry.

As dawn approached, both Cora and Acaelus slowed, their bodies growing tired. I didn't feel affected at all, and kept fighting. In fact, I felt more alive than ever and revelled in the panic I saw in Cora's eyes as Acaelus cut off her arm. She snarled and pulled out a stake. Worry built in me and I instinctively crashed into her so that she wouldn't plunge the stake into my sire. She got up before me and kicked me into the corner of the room where the ceiling was again ripped off and sun shone through it.

It was day time already? Cora and Acaelus did seem to get slower as the time passed, but I didn't even realize it until I flew to the rays of sun. I wondered how much affect it would have on me. Would I be able to get out of the way really quickly? Or would it freeze me on the spot in blistering pain?

I waited as I landed, but nothing happened, and I simply blazed in the sun's glow. I looked at Acaelus but was only met with a confused look from both him and the enemy. Why wasn't I burning? I had come close to contact with the sun before and it felt like I was on fire, so what had happened?

I grinned and thought of Michael. Was this really what would happen if a vampire were to drink an archangel's blood? I kept waiting for the effect to wear off as if it was a fluke, but nothing happened and the sun still shone on me.

Cora laughed, but it was a little shaky. No, she was scared. "Daylighter; you're even more of a demon than me."

That snapped me out of it. She lunged for my throat next and I ran to meet her lunge, swords ready. My sire didn't interfere, he only believed. My arms and my body knew what to do. I parried and whipped my swords around, finally beheading the witch.

We stood there for a minute but the vampire didn't resurrect. She was really dead. I wanted to slump to the ground but my body wasn't tired. "We'll talk when I wake," Acaelus said, before going to the corner of the room and sitting. He was out before I could say anything.

I drove the stake through Cora's corpse just to be safe before tossing it into the sun.

XXXXX

I didn't fall asleep once during the day. I felt that I could, but I just wasn't tired and I needed to keep watch for any other crazy vampires that could be lurking around. In the meantime I snooped through the office and found a fridge with blood in it. I drunk a bag and left the other three for Acaelus when he woke, which was just when night had fallen. He downed them gratefully then we got talking.

It took some time to explain to him what Michael was, but the vampire wasn't incredulous. He believed my story on the first go and even made some theories about it. "We're damned," he said, "but you drinking the blood of someone holy were probably what let you handle the light. You're saying you don't feel tired?"

I shook my head, "but I think I could fall asleep if I really wanted to."

"That would also explain why you were so much faster and stronger during the fight," he muttered almost to himself. "Anyway, we should keep the fact that you're a Daylighter hidden from everyone. If word got out there would be a lot more prices on both our heads and a lot of scientists would want to open that brain of yours. Don't tell anyone. Understand?"

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Then let's go. This place reeks of our blood."


End file.
